The Devil has a fish's tail
by HallowedRider
Summary: Cam for so long has yearned and sought after what his friend Zach has. He wants nothing more than to join his best mate in the underwater world that for so long has belonged only to him and the mermaids. But now, Erik says that he may have found a way for Cam to get the tail that he has wanted for so long. The catch? Erik wants something too. He wants Cam to get him into the pod.
1. Chapter 1

Like most days, Cam was awake for several hours before his alarm went off. In the time before that, he lied awake staring at the ceiling. To just say one thing that went through his mind would be impossible, Cam was in turmoil. He rolled over and threw off his ocean blue comforter, a recent acquisition that he found ironic in the extreme. He reached for his phone and thumbed through the contacts, searching for his best mate Zach. Hitting the dial button when he came across his friend's name he allowed the phone to ring several times before he cut off the call. "Probably out with the pod." He muttered, getting to his feet and pulling on his life guard uniform with a weary sigh. "Again."

Ever since the pod had returned to Mako Island Zach and the other mermaids had been spending less and less time with legs, a fact that left Cam feeling very abandoned. In fact, the only one who seemed to be interested in hanging out with Cam anymore was, to the blond haired man's surprise, Erik. Ever since his split with Ondina Erik had grown depressed. He was so put out that he was actually showing up to his shifts at the shop on time, a fact that seemed rather backward to Cam. Grabbing a towel that hung on his bed post, Cam exited his room without a look back. His phone was lying on his bedside, exactly where he had left it after his failed call to Zach. Stepping off of his front porch Cam frowned when he saw Rita, Zach's kind-of-sort-of mermaid mentor, striding towards his house. He waited until she was directly in front of him to actually acknowledge her presence. "Oh, Principal Santos." He said, feigning surprise. "What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"

"Cam," She said, favoring him with a small smile. "May I have a moment?"

Checking his watch, Cam saw that he had at least an hour before he would be expected at his work. "Actually," he said apologetically, "I have to be at work very soon. "

Looking very disappointed, Rita nodded slowly. "I see." She said, "Would you mind stopping by my house later today? I need to discuss something with you."

"Yeah, sure." Cam said noncommittally, striding down the street in the opposite direction of his principal. He had absolutely zero intentions of visiting his principal as he knew what the conversation would be about. At different times, each of his fishy friends had come up to him to speak about how he was handling their sudden absence. Each time, he had laughed them off and told them that he had barely noticed their absence. They had all accepted his story, with the exception of one. Ondina, for reasons he couldn't begin to fathom, seemed to see through the façade he had put up as a barrier between his anger and sorrow at being left behind and his happy go-lucky nature. He shuddered as he recalled that particular conversation.

He had been fishing a secret spot by Mako known only to him. On that particular day, he was not having much luck. He attributed his bad luck to the sudden influx of a hungry merpeople population that seemed to have decimated the fish. "You won't catch anything." A voice behind him told him matter-of-factly, almost startling him out of his boat. Once he turned around he saw Ondina leaning on the side of his boat, her eyes amused at his reaction. "There isn't a fish for miles."

"Yeah I wonder whose fault that is?" Cam said sarcastically, "Besides I see a fish right in front of me."

He reached for his net and was completely unsurprised when it went flying out of his boat to sink below the sea several feet away. He scowled at Ondina and blew out an angry breath. "Was that _really_ called for?" He demanded.

"So how have you been?" Ondina asked, completely unfazed by her effective destruction of the net. "Since Zach stopped hanging out with you I mean."

"I told you, I am fine." Cam said, with a falsely bright smile. "Totally fine."

"Mm." Ondina's stare seemed to bore into Cam's very existence. "I don't believe you. You've been hanging out with Erik a lot haven't you?"

Cam slowly reeled in his line, unsurprised to see that his bait was completely intact and untouched in the least. "Yeah what about it?" He asked eventually, turning to look Ondina in the eye. "He's not a bad guy."

"Cam, he tried to destroy the Moon Pool." She reminded him, her voice veiled with anger. "He tried to destroy _Zach._ "

"No one knew what activating the chamber would really do." Cam argued, his voice rising. He caught himself, and sighed. "Listen, I don't want to argue. What's done is done. Zach is happy as a clam swimming around with the pod all the time. No harm done."

"Well what about you?" She asked, surprising him for the second time.

"What about me?" Cam asked warily.

"Are you alright?" She asked, but then elaborated. "We have all been so busy with the pod we haven't had much time to hang out with you."

"Well, you never really liked me to begin with." Cam said, slightly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken.

Ondina pursed her lips and rested her head on her arms, regarding him thoughtfully. "I never really disliked you." She said, "I wouldn't say I was overly fond of you, but I respected that you managed to make a place for yourself in a world that you had no place in."

"Yeah, well." He smiled coldly at her and began to pull up the anchor. "Look where that got me."

He shuddered as the memory ended and looked over the beach, admiring the white sand and the crystal blue water. He jogged over to the life guard station and tapped the leg of the person he was relieving. "You're good to go mate." He said, not bothering to check who it was.

"Think I'll stay a bit actually." Erik said, moving over to make room in the large seat.

Shocked, Cam looked up to see Erik garbed in the same attire he was in. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, climbing into the stand. "You can't be a lifeguard!"

"Oh, I don't know about all that." Erik said, unconcerned. "After a few years you get pretty good at hiding the fact that you have a tail."

"I wouldn't know." Cam said, immediately regretting the wistfulness in his voice and hoping that Erik wouldn't notice. "Anyways, why are you here? I thought you were working in the shop today?"

"Not till later." Erik waved a hand dismissively. "Heard from any of the others lately?"

"Rita tried talking to me earlier about something but I gave her the slip." Cam said, breathing an inward sigh of relief that his previous tone had apparently not been noted. "So what about you? Anything new in the illustrious life of Erik the Fishman?"

The bronze haired man laughed quietly and shook his head. "Nope. Not unless you count the fact that Ondina still won't speak to me and the others are acting like I tried to kill them."

Cam shrugged. "Well, you sort of did. Kind of."

Erik's face tightened in rage. "You know I had no idea that would happen!" He said. The tower began to vibrate, the sand around the legs bouncing and shaking. " _You_ of all people know that!"

"Yeah, yeah I know." Cam said soothingly, now accustomed to the random actions that merpeople's emotions wrought of the environment. "Calm down. Otherwise we're going to have to explain why the tower broke again."

Erik took a deep breath and released it in a whoosh. "I've been thinking." He said suddenly.

"Always a dangerous past time with you." Cam advised.

"We each have something that the other wants." Erik continued on as if he hadn't heard Cam say a word.

"Oh yeah?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow. He gazed out on the beach, not giving any indication as to the excitement that was building inside of him. His mind raced with different ways the current conversation could go, but he always circled back to one in particular and every fiber of his being prayed that he was right. "What's that?"

"For some reason Ondina and the others seem to still trust you a lot." Erik said, letting the fact that he was no longer trusted by any of the pod hang unsaid in the air. "I really miss her. And I know that you miss hanging out with them."

"Well, I don't know." Cam said easily, "I usually just get stuck covering for them while they go have all those crazy adventures."

"What if you could go on those adventures with them?" Erik asked slyly.

"Well I would need a tail for that." Cam observed, his pulse sending his blood racing through his veins. "And we know how getting one of those has gone for me."

Erik smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "What if I told you that I know how you could get what you want?"

"Well then," Cam said, his lips turning upward into a very small grin. "I guess I should ask what you want in return."

"I want you to get me into the pod." Erik answered immediately. "Zach was accepted. It's possible for mermen and mermaids to get along. I want that as well."

Cam chewed his lip for a moment and nodded, though he had already decided that he would do anything for a tail long ago. "Deal."


	2. A plan and a betrayal

After finishing his shift as a lifeguard, Cam wandered around town for a little while. It was fortunate that nothing happened during his watch as he probably wouldn't have noticed. His mind was filled with the prospect of getting a tail, but moreover he wondered what Erik's motive behind wanting to join the pod was. Steadying his resolve, Cam quickly made his way to the café.

Inside the store, patrons sat around tables with various juices in front of them whilst Erik maneuvered between the tables laughing and refreshing the customers' drinks. David was leaning against the counter, his eyes dreamily locked on Sirena's and she was staring back at him with the same amount of love-struck awe. "Well, well, you two seem to be getting along very well." Cam said slyly. "I see that Sirena's little secret hasn't made you lose interest. _Not_ that I'm saying it would." He quickly added.

"Of course not." David said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've always loved mermaids. And I love Sirena even more."

Sirena blushed crimson and twirled her hair around her finger as she sighed happily. "Aww," she sighed, "You are just so cute."

Rolling his eyes, Cam held up his hands to chest level and pantomimed pushing himself away. "Okay, well you two have fun with that." He said, smiling. "David, do you mind if I speak to Erik for a minute?"

David shook his head. "Not at all. He's been working so much lately since…"

Cam didn't say anything. He didn't want have to, or want to for that matter. He and Carly had split several weeks ago, though he wondered if they were ever really together to begin with. Regardless, they had parted badly. So bad in fact that Carly quit working at the café and had started work on the opposite end of town at a different restaurant.

"Erik." Cam said, tapping the taller man on the shoulder for attention. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, of course." Erik immediately said. He smiled apologetically to the table he had been waiting on. "I'll be right back, I just have some urgent business to attend to."

The two exited the café and walked behind the establishment, ensuring that their conversation would remain private. "So, what's the plan?" Cam asked. "I can't get you into the pod unless I'm there first."

"Exactly." Erik agreed. "Tonight we need to get to Mako."

Cam raised an eyebrow, his mind immediately jumping to the lunar schedule he had all but memorized in the past months. "Tonight's the full moon." He stated carefully. "The island is going to be protected by the pod. It won't be possible for me to get there. _You_ won't even be able to get there."

Erik grinned, the picture of confidence and poise. "They will be protecting the island at _sunset._ " He said, emphasizing the word. "Right now they should be in deeper water with only a few left behind to guard the island."

"Okay, well they can keep me out pretty easy." Cam said, not understanding the plan. "I don't have powers, and you aren't a match for more than a couple of them. Especially if they have moon rings."

Erik's grin hadn't wavered in the face of Cam's logic. "You're right. It would be impossible for you to sneak by in a tinny by yourself."

"So, what?" Cam asked, though Erik's confidence was beginning to grow infectious. A small smile formed on Cam's face. "You going to make the boat invisible and sneak me past?"

Erik shook his head. "Not at all. I wouldn't be able to. It takes a lot of focus for me to just make myself and someone else invisible. Vanishing an entire boat would be almost impossible." He explained, pacing back and forth now. He frowned suddenly, his brow creasing. "Someone's coming. Meet me a mile off the beach in an hour."

Proving his point, Zach came walking around the side of the building not a second later. "What's going on?" He asked suspiciously, his brow raised.

"Oh, not much." Erik said easily. "Just making sure that Cam is okay after Carly broke up with him."

"Carly broke up with you?" Zach asked, shocked. It took Cam a moment to remember that he had actually not told his best mate about that particular development.

"Yeah." Cam said, grateful for the excuse to be angry at his friend. Erik disappeared around the corner from where Zach had appeared from, but not before shooting Cam a wink and a thumbs-up. "But you don't really care about that. Its' not about the pod after all."

"That's not true at all!" Zach protested, taking a step forward to place his hand on Cam's shoulder. "You're my best mate, you should have told me."

"When?" Cam asked, throwing the hand off his shoulder. "When could I have told you? Maybe when you were swimming through the sea with your new little pod friends?"

"You don't understand." Zach responded, his voice now matching Cam's anger. "I haven't ever had a pod."

"Dude, you only _just_ found out you were a mermaid." Cam reminded him, his eyes glinting with a savage glee at the truth. "Erik hasn't _ever_ had a pod and he seems to be doing just fine."

"So you're on his side now?" Zach demanded. "He tried to _kill_ our friends!"

"'Our friends'?" Cam asked, laughing. "Since when have they ever been my friends? They only used me when I was helpful. Even Evie acts like I'm beneath her nowadays. You all do actually. But that's what I get right? I'm only a land boy."

Cam turned away without waiting for Zach's response, leaving his friend standing alone. Erik was leaning against the side of the café, an amused expression on his face. "Quite the fight." He observed.

"Yeah, well it needed to be said." Cam mumbled. "I'm going to go get the boat."

"About that…" Erik said, reaching behind him and pulling out a body board. "Change of plans. A boat would be too easily seen from shore and they would know something is up. Besides, this way we can move at a merman's pace. Think of it as practice."

"Practice for what?" Mimie asked, emerging from within the café. She was sipping on some orange colored juice and appeared to be enjoying it immensely.

"For the…" Erik floundered for a believable lie, but Mimie held up a hand to forestall his response.

"I wasn't speaking to you." She told him frankly. "So don't speak to me. Practicing for what, Cam?"

"Uh, the body boarding tournament next Saturday?" Cam said, making it sound as though the lie was the obvious answer. "Erik was giving me some tips."

"Hm." Mimie said, staring intently into Cam's eyes. He stared back calmly, scratching his chin with extreme calmness. "Well, anyways. Rita wants to speak to you and she sent me to get you."

"Sorry," Cam told her, stepping away with the body board in tow. "I have things to do. Maybe some other time."

"It wasn't really a question." Mimie told him, her voice slightly apologetic. "It's actually really important that you come to speak with her and Veridia."

"Veridia?" Erik repeated, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What does the head of the mermaid council want with a land-boy. No offense." He quickly added seeing the look that Cam shot him.

"That's not really any of your business, now is it?" Mimie asked, grabbing Cam's hand and pulling him along with her. "Come on, we need to hurry. Veridia hates waiting."

"Sheesh, take it easy." Cam complained, he turned his head and called to Erik. "I'll meet you for the lessons after I finish up whatever it is that they want."

"Yeah, hurry up. We need to make sure we get the tide right." Erik called back before returning inside.

"Can you let me go now?" Cam asked, annoyed at the quick pace that Mimie had set.

"Oh yeah, sure." She said, not seeming to notice his tone. "Sorry, but no one could find you."

"So what's this meeting about anyway?" Cam asked, slowing their pace to a leisurely stroll.

"No idea, but as far as I know it's the first time that the head of any mermaid council has asked for an audience with a specific land boy." Mimie paused and shrugged. "We usually just grab them from their boats and get our audience that way."

"Charming." Cam said, suppressing a shiver.

He dug his hands into his pockets and walked the rest of the way in silence, already beginning to dread the rapidly approaching meeting. The house to Rita's house was closed but Mimie walked inside without so much as a knock, a fact that Cam found interesting. She led the way into Rita's secret grotto, gracefully descending down the steps before stopping to one side. "Veridia, I brought the land-boy you asked for." She said proudly.

"Yeah, I have a name." Cam said, already unhappy with the current flow of conversation.

Seated around the table were three women. Two of them he recognized as Ondina and Rita, but the third he didn't know. He guessed correctly that she must be Veridia, and quickly studied her. She appeared to be around Rita's age but she had several more worry lines than his principal did, not doubt due to leading the pod.

"Cam, this is Veridia." Rita said, gesturing to the one that Cam studied. "But I am sure that you already guessed that."

"So this is the one who knows about our secret?" Veridia said, standing up and crossing her arms. "Hm. He doesn't seem to be much of a threat. But, this way we know that he will remain a neutral party."

"What way?" Cam asked, discreetly stepping back a step.

"Cam, the pod has decided that in light of your past that they should take away the ability for you to ever become a merman." Rita said, the words sending a shock down his spine.


	3. The Beginning

"Wh-what?" Cam asked, his voice rising in panic. "Why? How? What gives you the right?"

"The fact that you do not belong in our world to begin with gives us the right." Veridia said coolly as she stood up and faced Cam. "You should count yourself lucky that we are not taking your memories as well."

Cam took another step back, his hands balling into fists at his side. "I don't think I am going to let you do that." He said. He took another step back and bumped into someone. He glanced around and saw Zach staring down at him from the step above, a regret filled expression on his face. "Were you in on this?" Cam demanded.

"It's for the best." Zach said, but he didn't sound certain. "We saw what happened with Erik. We can't take that change again."

"So you get your happy ending and you forget about your best friend?" Cam snapped angrily. "Is that how it's going to be?"

Zach couldn't seem to meet his friend's eyes, which Cam immediately took advantage of. With a quick swiftness he struck his friend in the groin and leapt past him, ignoring the startled shouts of the mermaids. He sprinted away from Rita's house, nearly tripping as he rounded the corner. Heading directly for the beach, he tossed off his shirt as he dove headfirst into the surf. Kicking hard and he propelled himself through the water, desperately swimming for the spot where he was supposed to meet Erik. When he could no longer see the shore he stopped and turned in the water, looking everywhere for the tell-tale sign of a merperson. He had just been about to abandon hope when Erik broke the surface next to him, a body board clutched under his arm. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He observed, handing the body board to his accomplice. "What's wrong?"

Cam quickly outlined what had just transpired in the grotto beneath Rita's house and Erik scowled. "The mermaid council has always thought that they were always right." He told him as he handed Cam a rope. The other end was looped around his chest. "But that doesn't mean they actually are. We need to get you to mako. Now."

"How?" Cam asked, tying the rope around his wrist.

"I'm going to draw the guardians away from the island, but before that I am going to let you go. While I have them distracted you should be able to swim to the island." Erik told him. "Once you are there, hide. Don't let anyone find you or this all is for nothing and you won't ever have another chance at becoming a merman."

"Okay, so once I get to the island and I hide then what?" His arms were quickly growing tired from treading water and from the rapid swim out to sea.

"Wait by the merman's chamber entrance. Once it opens go inside and activate the chamber." Erik told him. He gave an angry sigh when he saw Cam hesitate. "The trident isn't there so it can't be fully activated."

"Okay, so I activate the chamber, then what?" Cam demanded, still unsure of what Erik's plan was. "That won't do anything."

"Not true." Erik disagreed immediately. "The way I figure it, the Moon Pool belongs to the mermaids' right? We know that the Moon Pool can transform girls into mermaids so wouldn't it make sense that the merman's' chamber can do the same for guys? The way I see it, if you stand in the center of the trident you should be transform just like Evie did."

Cam chewed his lip for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's go."

Erik dove under the waves and Cam had his arm nearly pulled out of socket as the merman shot through the water, a cloud of bubbles in his wake. Cam gripped the body board as though his life depended on it. Erik pulled him along at a pace that Cam had never gone in the water, in fact he was going so fast that the water kicked up by the body board hit his face like needles. Thankfully, at Erik's pace it wasn't too long until they had reached their destination. Erik reappeared from the water and quickly untied the rope from around his waist. "I don't have much time." He pointed to Mako, which was only a few hundred yards away now. "You need to swim there as fast as you can. I can only distract them for a few minutes."

"Right, I'll hurry." Cam said, tying the body board to his back with the rope. "Are you meeting me at the chamber?"

Erik shook his head. "Too risky, they'll know something is up." He said, but he appeared wistful. "You know the start sequence right?"

"Yeah." Cam nodded. He took a breath and propelled himself forward in the water. Erik submerged again, and the last that Cam saw of him was a stream of bubbles jetting away. Drawing on every last ounce of energy that he could muster Cam swam as fast as he could to shore. Once his feet touched bottom he surged forward, not stopping until he was hidden in the tree line. Removing the body board from his back he tossed it aside, making sure it was hidden out of sight under a bush. He moved deeper into the island, not willing to cease his forward movement until at last he was next to the rocky outcrop that was the merman's chamber entrance. He collapsed onto a rock and breathed heavily, his lungs heaving for air. The damp heat of the jungle made the air extremely humid, but after a while Cam's breathed settled and he was able to relax somewhat.

He thought back to the grotto and he sighed, somewhat regretting having had to strike at his best friend. "I'll make it up to him once I have my own tail." He promised himself. He sighed and gazed at the solid rock wall, willing it to open.

That day was among the most tense that Cam had ever experienced. Every odd sound that the island produced had him diving for cover, convinced that the mermaids had discovered his presence. It became worse at night, and eventually Cam simply remained in hiding. When the full moon finally rose in the sky, his nerves were frayed to the point that he was constantly fidgeting. There was a shimmering sound, and when Cam looked up from his hiding spot Cam saw that the rock wall had disappeared. He stood up from his hiding spot and took a step forward, scarcely believing that now of he was finally going to get his tail.

He walked through the entrance and followed the winding path into the merman's chamber. He stepped around the trident on the floor, careful to avoid that space in case it transported him away like it had Ondina. He stood over the pedestal, his hands sliding across its face as the symbols glowed blue. He quickly tapped in the sequence, his anticipation making his hands shake. As he pressed the last symbol, the trident, its twin on the floor glowed blue and water began to fill it. Cam took a steadying breath and moved around the pedestal to stand next to the trident symbol. He was about to take the step onto the trident when Zach's voice cried out. "Cam, wait!" He yelled, sliding to a stop into the chamber. Behind him, Ondina, Evie, Mimie, and Sirena followed, out of breath, and their eyes wild with panic. "You can't do this!"

For a moment, Cam let the rage he had been hiding for months show in his voice. "Oh yeah?" He challenged, "And why not? Why shouldn't I get what I want for once?"

"This is not how it should go." Sirena said. "You don't belong in our world Cam, you have to understand that."

Eyes downcast, Cam nodded just once. "You're right." He told her. "I don't. Not like I am now."

"You don't know what will happen if you step onto that trident." Zach said, stepping around the symbol to stand opposite his friend. "None of us do. We don't want you getting hurt."

"Getting hurt…" Cam repeated slowly, "Like I wasn't going to get hurt when you were going to keep me from ever getting a tail?"

"That was the mermaid council's decision." Ondina said firmly. "You have to abide by it."

Cam spread his arms out to his side and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Not a merman. Not yet." Without another word he stepped onto the symbol, despite the sudden cries by his friends. He blinked once as he was suddenly enveloped in a strange blue light. He gazed at his arms, a frown beginning on his face. "What the-." He began, but he didn't get to finish because at that moment the light flashed once and Cam disappeared from within the circle of the trident.


	4. A new tail

At first, Cam had no idea where he was. He awoke with a start, drawing in a startled breath and shooting up into a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes several times as the early morning sun made his vision sting. He cast his eyes around the woods he was sitting in, looking for some evidence as to where he was. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched, his back making a satisfying pop. Suddenly, the events of the past night came rushing back to him and he looked down at his hands. He examined them closely, hoping for some evidence that he had in fact changed. Seeing nothing, he chose a direction at random and began to make his way out of the jungle. "Guess it wasn't meant to be." He mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders. "All of that, for nothing." Cam knew that Zach and the other mermaids would most likely never trust him again after last night's efforts.

The island's jungle seemed to go on forever, but eventually Cam found the sea and therein he realized a second problem. "How am I going to get back?" He wondered, shielding his vision from the sun as he searched for the mainland. "It's way too far to swim…." _Unless._ He thought, finishing the sentence.

He slowly picked his way across the beach, the sand rubbing pleasantly against the soles of his feet. Pausing only a few feet before the water's edge, Cam took a deep breath. "Well," He said clapping his hands and rubbing them together. "I guess this is it."

But Cam could not bring himself to make the first step. The anxiety of the situation threatened to overwhelm him as he desperately wondered if Erik's plan could have actually worked. He had only just managed to muster up some courage to step forward when he heard something emerge from the jungle. For a moment Cam couldn't believe his eyes as Zach and the girls emerged from the forest where he had just come from. "Cam!" He called, reaching out a hand.

"Cam, are you okay?" Ondina asked, worry clear in her voice.

"You disappeared." Evie said, her tone matching Ondina's.

"We searched everywhere for you." Sirena added.

"I feel fine." He said, taking a step backward and spreading his arms wide as if in show. "See?"

It was then that the dam broke. Zach crossed the distance between them in a few angry strides and poked Cam hard in the chest. "What were you thinking?" He shouted, throwing his arms out to the side. "You had no idea what the merman chamber could do! You could have died!"

"It was a chance I was willing to take!" Cam roared back.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Evie demanded, taking her place by Zach's side. "If the pod finds out about this they will leave again, and this time they won't come back!"

"We _just_ got back into the pod." Ondina said coldly, crossing her arms and resting her weight on one leg. "And now you might have taken it away from us!"

"All I have to do is keep the pod from seeing me!" Cam argued, but he sighed and shook his head. "If I even have a tail. I don't feel any different."

"Cam, even if you do have a tail we have to take it from you." Sirena told him, regret filling her words. "That's the deal we made with Veridia."

Cam's eyes narrowed and he looked between them. "What 'deal'?" He demanded, taking another step back. For some reason, the back of his foot began to tingle as though his skin could sense the closeness of the water.

"Listen man, the pod came together to decide whether or not you should be allowed to have a tail." Zach told him, his voice placating. "The council decided that you shouldn't be given one. So they were going to place a spell on you that would prevent you from ever getting a tail."

Cam glared at his former best mate. "Well." He said, spreading his arms as he took another step back. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this is happening."

Whirling around on his heel, Cam dove into the water. He submerged his entire body and for a moment he hung suspended with nothing happening. Other splashes around him told him that the others were pursuing him. _Well, I guess it didn't work._ He thought sadly. He turned in the water and his eyes widened in shock when he saw a long blue tail where his legs had been only a few seconds before. The others seemed similarly shocked, their own tails' scales catching the light and reflecting it back. Cam reached down and touched his tail, disbelief and sheer joy causing his throat to close up. He took a deep breath, underwater, and grinned like a fool at the group. Shaking off their relative shock, the group swam towards Cam with determination written all over their faces.

Understanding their intentions, Cam turned tail, literally, and swam away as fast as he could. He had seen Zach cut through the water more times that he could count, and he tried to emulate his friend from memory as best he could. At first he was certain that he was going to be caught immediately, but in the next moment he shot through the water like an arrow shot from a bow. _This is amazing._ He marveled to himself, the undersea landscape blurring together into a mismatched watery collage. He wasn't certain but he felt as though he was faster than Zach had been. He was moving so fast that he almost smashed into a rocky outcrop that jutted out from the mainland. He managed to stop himself at the last moment. Breaking the surface he began to laugh, in triumph and glee. "This is amazing!"

He dove back underneath the surface and searched for a sign of the others, but to his amazement it seemed as though he had left them behind. He pulled himself onto the rocks after making sure that the coast was clear. Staring down at his tail he shook his head, still disbelieving that his dream had finally come true. "I really owe you one for this Erik." Cam muttered as he extended a hand to his tail. It took a moment of concentration, but he quickly managed to pull off all of the water that clung to his tail. An instant later, two very human legs were where his tail had been. He quickly stood up and navigated his way off of the rocks and onto dry land.

Once he was safe of the water the full reality of his situation hit him. "I need to find Erik." He muttered to himself urgently. "Now, before they catch up."

Without another word, he began to jog down the beach towards the café. Though he felt the urgency of the situation, Cam couldn't help but grin to himself as he quickened his pace. Finally, he would no longer be left behind when the others went off on their undersea adventures. The mermaid council might take some convincing, but he felt certain that in time he could convince them that he only wanted to be with his friends. _That is,_ A voice in the back of his head told him, _If Zach can forgive you for betraying him._

 _Oh shut up._ He told the voice irritably. _Zach's known I've wanted a tail for ages. It only makes sense that I finally get one._

He pushed open the door to the café and grinned when his eyes found Erik. The man had his back turned to the door but he seemed to sense Cam's presence. He turned around and saw Cam's grin. He quickly crossed the café and put an arm around his friend's shoulder, leaning in close to whisper; "So? How'd it go? Did it work?"

Cam clapped Erik on the shoulder and turned him around to point at a cup of juice. Cam slightly raised his arm and the juice suddenly evaporated, leaving an empty cup and a very confused customer as he reached for the glass. "Oops." Cam laughed quietly. "Guess I still need to work on my control."

Erik laughed, but he disengaged himself from under Cam's arm. "You can't use your powers in public like that." He whispered urgently. "David knows about mermaids, if you start showing off like that he is going to put two and two together."

"I got it, I got it." Cam said easily, taking a seat at the bar. Erik went around the back and leaned against the hard wood. "Sorry, I am just beyond stoked."

"Did the others see you?" Erik asked. He set a glass of some red juice in front of Cam who reached for it eagerly. He was about to grab the glass when Erik caught his wrist and handed him a towel. "You have to start watching for water."

"Oh, right." Cam said, mentally cursing himself for his hastiness. _If you don't start being more careful you are going to expose their secret. Your secret._

"So, what did they say?" Erik continued on, unperturbed. "About you getting your powers?"

"They weren't too happy." Cam said, frowning. "Actually, they wanted to take my powers away from me. Apparently the mermaid council aren't fans of the idea of me with a tail."

"Well that's not really their decision." Erik said, raising his eyebrows. "They hold sovereignty over mermaids, not mermen. The only ones who should be able to say that you can or can't have a tail are other mermaids."

"I thought you wanted to be in the pod?" Cam asked, curiously. "Wouldn't that mean that they have control over you, like they have control over Zach?"

"In the past mermaids _and mermen_ sat on the council." Erik said quickly. "And since I don't see Zach in a hurry to claim the seat I thought that I should be the one to do it. Unless, you want to have it." He quickly added, shooting Cam an appraising look.

"Dude, I've been a merman for like, an hour." Cam told him, rolling his eyes. "You can have the seat. All I want right now is to see what I can do with my powers."

Erik grabbed a rag and began to wipe down the bar. The door dinged softly, announcing that someone had come into the bar. Erik's eyes darted up and he nodded to the door. "Incoming." He warned.

A moment later Zach roughly grabbed Cam by the shoulder and turned him around. "I need to speak with you. Now."

Cam smiled coldly at his friend and nodded once. "Sure." He agreed, getting up from his seat. "Let's talk."


	5. So it begins

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" Zach demanded the second they were clear of the bar. "Any idea at all?"

"Yeah." Cam said, smiling. "I got what I _deserved_ from the beginning!"

People had begun to stare at the exchange, and David had seemingly followed them from the bar. "You two alright?" He asked uncertainly, imposing himself in-between the two. "You seem like you need to breathe."

"You know what?" Cam asked, gazing out into the ocean. "I think you are right David. I want to go for a swim."

"Yeah." Zach agreed, his eyes hard. "Me too."

"Well…. Not exactly what I had in mind, but if it will help then I would say go for it." He said, smiling at them uncertainly.

Cam turned heel and walked away, Zach on his tail. "Why can't you just be happy for me?" Cam demanded.

"Because you shouldn't have a tail to begin with!" Zach exploded. He stopped his friend and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Cam, no one knows what the effects the merman chamber could have on you by changing you. You could end up being my enemy. I don't want you to turn into Erik!"

"Erik?" Cam's eyes narrowed dangerously. Overhead, a sudden burst of wind shook the trees vigorously. "You think that I want to destroy the moon pool or anything like that? After I protected you guys for so long?"

Zach slapped his hands against side and pursed his lips, thinking. "Listen, Cam. I'm sorry if I overreacted." He said, and Cam sensed the sincerity in his friend's words. "But I have to think about more than just myself. I have to think about the pod now."

Slightly embarrassed by his overreaction as well, Cam nodded in acceptance of the apology. "It's fine mate, I was a bit thick too." He smiled at his friend. "We cool now?"

Blowing out a sigh Zach smiled tiredly. "Yeah, I think so." He said. "But we should go to Rita's and tell her what happened if the girls haven't already."

"I'd be willing to bet that they have." Cam told him honestly. "They don't exactly keep other's secrets very well do they?"

"No." Zach agreed with a laugh. "They really don't. Come on, let's use the grotto entrance."

"Are you sure?" Cam asked, surprised. "You don't think they would mind?"

"Nah." Zach shrugged easily, stepping onto the beach. "They shouldn't. You are a merman now."

"Because they are _so_ accepting of mermen." Cam muttered under his breath, following his friend into the water. Like before, he felt a tingle around his skin where the water seemed to call for him. He dove into the water and turned around, still slightly shocked at the appearance of his royal blue tail. He turned in the water and saw Zach hanging suspended in the water, a grin on his face. He beckoned for Cam and shot off in a trail of bubbles. Not one to turn away from a challenge, Cam shot off after him. It didn't take very long for Cam to catch up to his friend, a fact that shocked Zach. Easing up to Zach's pace, Cam followed him into an underwater cave which twisted and wound until it came up into the very familiar scene of Rita's grotto. Zach broke the water first, and when Cam emerged next to him he was already speaking, "-here with me. Don't worry, he's normal Cam."

Looking up, Cam saw Sirena, Evie, Ondina, and Mimie all staring at him with their moon rings pointed directly at him. "Yeah, he says that." Ondina said, glaring at Cam as her moon ring glowed menacingly. "But who says we can trust him?"

"I've kept your secret this long haven't I?" Cam shot back. He pulled himself out of the water and pulled the water off of his tail with a flip of his wrist. It smacked against the water and formed a small pool. His tail glowed bright and when he blinked he stared down at his legs and pushed to his feet. He looked over and saw that Zach was still drying the water from his tail. He turned to the girls and saw shock written all over their faces. "What?" He asked defensively.

"How did you do that?" Ondina demanded, pointing at the wall.

Following the direction she indicated, Cam looked at the wall and saw small holes in the wall where the droplets of water he had pushed off his tail had hit against the stone. "Oh." Cam blinked in honest surprise. "I didn't mean to push them off that hard."

"Why don't you just dry the water off like Zach is?" Sirena asked.

Cam smiled, suddenly sheepish. "I uh, didn't want to burn myself." He confessed. "I always thought that evaporating the water from your tail was just asking for trouble."

Slowly, Zach got to his feet and moved to stand between Mimie and Evie. "Look, Cam." He began. "From now on you have to start listening to Ondina. She is higher ranking in the pod than any of us. That's why _I_ listen to her. And if you really want us to trust you as a merman than you have to act like it."

"Fine by me." Cam said evenly, clasping his hands behind his back. "What do you want me to do?"

"Well, first-." Zach began, but Ondina cut him off with a raised hand.

"Since we don't know what the extent of your powers are, we should test you first." Ondina told him, her voice cold but determined. She glanced back towards the wall and shook her head. "I have a bad feeling about this."


	6. First Moon Rising

As it turned out in the weeks following Cam's transformation, Ondina's fear was seemingly misplaced. Cam simply ate up every lesson that he was given in magic and even Rita was forced to admit that he seemed to have an excellent hold on his powers. However, that is to say that there were not setbacks. There were some powers that Cam simply did not have that the others did. He could not replicate objects, and he could not levitate objects. Water manipulation however was something that he excelled at. He was so adept at that magic that he could actually walk through a rainstorm without letting a single drop of water touch him. Cam was extremely happy with his new powers, a fact that he remarked to Erik about. "I'm telling you mate," He said excitedly, "I was born to have these powers."

Erik barely spared him a glance. "I'm glad you are having so much fun."

Hearing the venom in Erik's words, Cam recoiled slightly. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, annoyed that his good mood was ruined.

"Well, maybe it's just me but I thought that we had a deal?" Erik shot back. "Or maybe not?"

"We do have a deal." Cam said. He leaned in close and muttered, "I haven't even been brought before the pod. As far as they know I had my ability to become a merman stripped from me. If I showed up with a tail they might leave again, and this time they won't come back."

"Cam, it's been a month since you were transformed." Erik told him, suddenly tired. "If you aren't going to help me then just tell me."

"No, I will." Cam told him confidently, standing up from the bar and grabbing his juice. "Tonight is the full moon. Ondina wants me to go before the mermaid council tonight to show them I'm not a danger."

"So you will put in a good word for me?" Erik asked slowly.

"Yeah of course!" Cam clapped him on the back and deposited his juice in the trash on his way out. Sitting at a table outside, Evie, Mimie, and Zach were deeply engrossed in a conversation.

Spying his friend, Zach motioned for Cam to join them. "What's up little fishies?" Cam asked as he sat down next to Mimie.

"Cam, we've been thinking." Evie said slowly. "I know you are supposed to go before the mermaid council tonight but it might not be such a good idea."

"Yeah? And why is that?" Cam wondered. He gazed up at the sky, noting that the sun had begun its final descent into the horizon.

"Because we don't know how the full moon is going to affect you." Mimie said truthfully. "Zach only was able to control it after a few full moons and that was with three mermaids keeping a full time eye on him."

"So, what?" Cam asked, his brows furrowing. "You gonna tie me up or something?"

"Lyla tried to tie me up for one of my first full moons." Zach offered sympathetically, patting his friend on the shoulder. "We just want to see how you react to the full moon before we show you to the pod. If you turn out like I did, we need to bring you under control."

"Well you were just going to the chamber right? Because of the trident." Cam reminded him. "The stone was destroyed."

"We're just being careful." Zach said again. "We are going to Rita's so that we can all keep an eye on you."

"You guys aren't going to go with the pod to the full moon thing you guys do?" Cam asked, surprised. "Won't they be angry if you miss it?"

"I'll tell them I had some homework to do or something like that." Evie said dismissively. "Zach still isn't allowed into our circled during the full moon anyways."

"What about you?" Cam asked Mimie interestedly. "How are you going to get out of it?"

"I'm not." She said miserably. "Veridia already said that she expects me there. Only Zach, Evie, and Rita will be there to watch over you."

"Why don't we ask Erik to help?" Cam suggested innocently.

"Him?" Zach asked incredulously. "He tried to take over Mako!"

"Yeah, but so did I at one point." Cam reminded him earnestly. "I just think that we should give him a second chance. Being alone for that long can't be easy. Trust me, I would know." The not so subtle reminder that Zach and the girls owed him for basically abandoning him for several months.

"Fine." Evie said decisively. "He can come. But if he tries anything funny, he is done!"

"That's fair." Cam agreed, getting to his feet so quickly that his chair toppled over backwards. "I'll let him know. When are we meeting?"

"Actually, we need to get ready to go now." Mimie said, shielding her eyes as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. "The second the sun disappears the moon's power begins to affect us."

Cam jogged inside the bar and quickly ran through the situation with Erik who immediately told David that he had to leave. "What, why?" David asked frowning.

"You know how Sirena is with her… friends?" Erik asked pointedly. "I have to go do the same thing."

"Oh, okay." David said, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Just let me know next time alright?"

"Yeah sure, no problem." Erik promised. "I don't want to get fired again."

Departing the café, Cam and Erik met the other three at the end of the pier. "So are we swimming?" Erik asked cheerfully.

"The last thing we want is for Cam to be anywhere near water right now." Mimie said. She barely spared Erik a glance before she stormed off down the road toward Rita's house.

"She's still angry at me." Erik observed quietly to Cam.

"Yeah, well," Cam shrugged. "They don't really forgive very easy. She still hasn't forgiven me completely for the time that I tried to take over Mako and she wasn't even there at the time."

"Girls." Erik said, shaking his head.

Zach paused and hung back a second to draw even with the other two mermen. "Nope. Mermaids." He said with a knowing wink.

They hurried to follow the pace that Mimie had set, which allowed them to very quickly make it to Rita's house. The older mermaid was waiting by the door when they pushed through her front gate. When she spied Erik she shot a questioning look to Evie and Mimie. "They say he deserves a second chance." Was all Mimie said before she grabbed Cam by the arm and pulled him into the house.

Rita nodded slowly just once before she made a sweeping gesture for the others to head inside. "This is a nice place up top too." Erik said, smiling at Rita.

Smiling kindly she accepted the compliment graciously. "Thank you, I think so as well." She opened the secret entrance to her grotto. "Shall we?"

"So, what's the plan?" Cam asked nervously rubbing his hands together. "Freezing me? Tying me up?"

"I rather thought that we could try putting him to sleep." Erik offered.

The others instantly glanced at him suspiciously, immediately suspecting something. "And why would you say that?" Evie demanded.

"Because it's how I got past my first few full moons." Erik told them. "You forget, I am the only one here who has ever dealt with a full moon completely alone. I know what works." And he smiled a smile so full of saintly goodness that everyone in the room believed him ins


	7. Lunar Betrayal

"Ya know, it's really hard to fall asleep when you guys are watching me." Cam said. He was lying down on the ground, a roll of sea weed propping up his head as a pillow.

"Sorry mate," Zach said from somewhere to his left. "We can't risk you going somewhere."

"I seriously feel fine." Cam said, sitting up with a scowl. "I actually feel great right now. Better than great."

"That's the full moon." Evie said, nodding. She smiled wistfully, her thoughts gone back to a memory. "I remember my first full moon… it was… amazing."

"Wish I knew." Cam said bitterly, scratching at the floor with a nail.

"Don't worry," Zach reassured him. "Once you get past this full moon, you can go outside for the next one."

"Yeah. Sure." Cam had his doubts. Not that he would see the next one, but that he wouldn't see this full moon. He could feel every part of his body screaming for water already, and each time the water in the grotto's pool gently lapped against the side he wanted to dive into its depths. He got to his feet and began to pace back and forth across the floor, Evie and Zach watching him worriedly. Erik was lounging against the wall, watching Cam's movements with a small grin.

"You aren't going to fall asleep like that." Erik said, crossing the room to begin looking through Rita's collection of plants and other assorted sea life. With a soft sound of exclamation he poured a small measure of white sand into his palm. He paced over to Cam and threw it into his face.

Sputtering an issuing a mild curse Cam took a step back. "What was that-?!" He began, but before he could finish his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he pitched forward sound asleep.

Erik caught him and laid him onto the floor. "Well, that's that taken care of." He said, sounding pleased.

"I've always wondered," Zach said after they sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the steady rise and fall of Cam's chest. "How did you manage the full moon by yourself all those years?"

Erik was quiet for a good long while, his gaze distant. "Trial and error." He said eventually. "I didn't have anyone to teach me. Usually, no merman does."

"So is that why you are helping Cam?" Evie asked interestedly. "So he doesn't have to go through what you went through?"

The corner of Erik's turned upward in the ghost of a smile. "Something like that." He checked his watch and sighed, pushing off from his spot on the wall. "It should be starting soon."

"What should be starting soon?" Zach inquired, only half-interested.

But Zach's answer wasn't long in coming. A sudden glow seemed to emanate from underneath Cam's shirt and like a marionette who was being raised by its master, Cam was pulled to his feet. With an exclamation of surprise, Zach and Evie took lurched to their feet, going to Cam's side. "Cam, can you hear me?" Zach asked urgently, waving his hand in front of his friend's eyes whilst Evie snapped her fingers next to his ears.

"He can't." Erik said conversationally. "He's moving off of instincts right now. His body is awake but his mind is asleep."

"What do we do?" Evie demanded, whirling around to face Erik. "How do we stop him?"

"You don't." Erik said simply. Cam slowly turned towards the grotto's pool and began walking towards it. "More accurately, you can't."

Zach imposed himself between Cam and the pool, placing his hands against his friend's chest. With barely a flick of his wrist, Cam sent Zach flying away to one side and continued on his way. He dove headfirst into the pool of water, the blue glow in his chest now a piercing shine of light. Erik smiled as Cam disappeared in a trail of bubbles before turning back to Evie and Zach. "You asked why I was helping Cam?" Erik asked. "I'm helping him because that chamber is the best chance for mermen to once again swim the sea in pods. We don't deserve to be left to fend for ourselves." Spreading his arms, he fell backwards into the pool before following after Cam's trail.

Eyes wide with shock at Erik's betrayal, Zach and Evie exchanged a look before they dove into the water after the two mermen.

None of them were a match for Cam's speed however, not even Erik who had followed only seconds after him. At Mako, the pod were gathered in circles, gazing up at the full moon with awe. When Cam sped by underneath them, they barely noticed so lost in the moon's grip as they were. Gathering speed, Cam leapt out of the water by the beach and pushed the water off of his tail in the same motion, landing on the sand with two legs beneath him. The glow in his chest had centered itself into a sphere that pulsed gently beneath his shirt. Calmly, Cam walked into the jungle and towards the merman chamber. Several minutes later, Erik was on the beach and running to catch up with him. Seconds after Erik, Zach and Evie were in the jungle as well.

When the three finally found Cam, he was walking through the entrance to the merman's chamber. Erik moved to follow him but Zach threw up his hand and restrained the man. Snarling, Erik struggled against the power holding him. "You can't stop this, Zach!" He told him ferociously. "No one can! You don't know what it was like to grow up alone, having no one else to depend on! To be shunned by every mermaid you met simply because you were born a merman!"

"Evie, go!" Zach said, sweat beading on his forehead as he struggled to contain Erik. "I'll hold him here."

Without further delay Evie slipped into the merman chamber. Erik watched her go, fury mounting in his eyes. He turned back on Zach and raised his own hand. "You have no idea what it's like."

"That doesn't make it right!" Zach argued, taking a step back as Erik's own powers surged against him.

"Then what does?" Erik demanded taking a step towards Zach, his anger lending him strength. "What exactly makes it right to want something more than always being alone? Do you know why mermen are made to fend for ourselves? Because mermaids don't want us to form a pod! They want us to always be alone!"

"That's not true." Zach said, his arm shaking with the effort to hold Erik at bay. "They accepted me."

"And how many other mermen are still alone? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?" With each question, Erik took a step forward. He was close enough to Zach now that their hands were almost touching. "You don't have a say. You didn't have to go through that."

Zach fell to one knee, his arm falling to his side. With a look of contempt, Erik turned and ran into the cave just as the entrance shimmered closed. Unable to prevent it, Zach was forced to watch as Erik disappeared into the chamber.

Inside the chamber, it took a moment for Erik to process what he was seeing. Hanging suspended in the air, Cam had his arms spread to either side. A single beam of moonlight shone against the blue sphere in his chest. Evie lay to one side, unconscious with blood running down her forehead. Quickly checking on her, Erik turned his attention back to Cam once he ascertained that she was in no danger. The blue sphere was slowly drawn from Cam's chest by the moonlight and Cam slowly drifted to the bottom of the chamber, landing lightly on the trident symbol carved into the stone. Blinking rapidly Cam seemed to come to his senses. He looked up at the blue sphere and raised an eyebrow before reaching out and grabbing it. The moonlight cut off abruptly and the glowing sphere seemed to settle until Cam was holding a stone identical to the one that had shattered when Evie had used it to save Zach. Grinning ear to ear, Erik stepped into the trident and clapped Cam on the shoulder. "You did it Cam!" He said excitedly. "With this, we should be able to form a pod of our own. Mermen won't have to be alone anymore."

"What?" Cam asked, still fascinated by the stone. A still form in the corner of his vision brought him back to reality. "Evie!" He cried, rushing to her side.

"She's fine." Erik said soothingly. "Probably just got thrown aside by the power of the stone."

Cam realized that the stone was still clutched in his hand. At its core, it seemed as though a small moon was shining from its depths. He was just about to ask what had happened when the stone flashed brightly, momentarily obscuring their vision. When they could see again, Cam was holding a pure gold trident with the stone set in the center of its middle spear. "What happened?" Cam asked in wonder, the trident comfortable in his hands. He looked to Erik with a wondrous smile on his face and saw that a similar one was on the bronze haired man's face.

"Come on," Erik said as he gathered Evie into his arms. "I'll explain on the way. But just so you know, Zach isn't going to be happy."


	8. Lunar Betrayal Pt 2

Zach not being happy turned out to be the biggest understatement that Cam had ever heard anyone make. The stone entrance to the chamber shimmered open when Cam came close with the trident, the blue crystal glowing blue briefly. Erik exited first, Evie still cradled in his arms. Zach had clearly been pacing next to the chamber, his face tight and drawn with worry. He turned hard on his heel when he heard the chamber open and he gave a shout of surprise when he saw Evie's unconscious form. He immediately pulled her away from Erik, putting an ear to her chest and checking for a heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the steady sound of her heart still pumping. He gently laid her on the ground before turning on Cam and Erik, his face contorted in rage. "What happened to her?" He asked, his voice shaking with barely concealed fury. He shoved Erik roughly, making the man stumble back. "What did you do?!"

"What I had to." Erik said, quickly regaining his balance and returning the shove with equal force. "Not that you would understand even if I explained it."

Cam stepped between them quickly and raised his hands, the trident glowing menacingly in his grip. "Alright, easy fellas." He said. "Let's take a moment and just breathe."

"You be quiet Cam!" Zach snarled. "This is just as much your fault as his! Now, because of you the pod might leave!"

Laughing, Erik shook his head and crossed his arms. "This is exactly why I did this." Erik told them. "You care more about the pod then your own best friend."

"The pod was the one in danger!" Zach retorted. He threw up his hands and shook his head. He walked back to Evie and picked her up into his arms. "She needs the moon pool."

"I'll go with you." Cam said, beginning to follow his friend.

"No!" Zach shot at him. "You've done enough."

Without as much as another glance back at the two mermen, Zach walked away. Cam watched his friend go, an awful feeling taking hold in his stomach. "What happened?" Cam asked Erik eventually, the trident weighing very heavily in his hands and on his mind. "How did I get this?"

"Come on," Erik said, clapping Cam on the shoulder and leading the way into the jungle. "Let's head back to the mainland. I'll explain everything once we are away from the mermaid pod."

"The mermaid pod?" Cam asked uncertainly. "Is there a merman pod?"

"Not yet." Erik said, his smile lost in the darkness of the night. "But there will be soon."

The swim back to the mainland only made Cam even more uneasy. He saw several of the pod underwater, watching him swim away with the trident in his grip. Erik's smile hadn't wavered and he was still smiling when they finally got their legs back on land. "May I see it?" He asked, reaching for the trident.

Hesitantly, Cam handed him the trident. "Okay, now tell me. What happened?"

"Tell me something, Cam." Erik said. "Have you noticed how distant that Zach had been before you got your tail?"

"Yeah…" He said, his voice trailing off. "That's why we got me a tail, right? To get you into the pod?"

"Yes. To get _us_ into a pod." Erik said, correcting Cam. "You know they won't let you into their pod, right? A merman who was changed by the merman chamber?"

"So, what then?" Cam asked, not following. "We form our own pod of two?"

Erik shook his head vigorously. "No, that would be pointless. The mermaid council would try to drive us off." He said. "They don't trust me, and now that Zach tells them that you have the trident they won't trust you either."

"Okay, so what's your big plan!?" Cam demanded.

"You know that mermen once had our own pods, right?" Erik said. "But when we lost the war, mermaids began sending us ashore when we grew old enough. I think it's about time that we brought back our pods. No merman should have to go through this life alone."

"And you think that the mermaid council will just let us get away with that?" Cam snorted.

"They aren't going to _let_ us do anything." Erik said, tapping the trident with one finger. "We are going to do what we need to. And they can't stop us."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Cam asked. He looked at the trident with disgust and shook his head. "You sound like you are getting ready to go to _war_ with the mermaids!"

"If that's what it takes, then yes." Erik said, his eyes hard as he stared down at Cam. The gentle lapping of the waves across the sand was a sound eerily peaceful for such a dark conversation. "But only if the mermaids try to stop us."

"My friends are part of that pod." Cam said, crossing his arms and putting a hand out. "And I don't want them to get hurt. I'm going back to Mako to put the trident back in its chamber where it belongs."

For a moment, it seemed that Erik was indeed going to hand the trident back to Cam. But at the last second he took a step back and shook his head. "No. No I don't think so." Erik said. He looked at Cam with a disappointed frown. "I really expected more of you Cam. I really did. You know better than anyone what it's like to be alone! Now imagine that feeling for every merman alive right now."

"That doesn't make it okay to start a war!" Cam said, stepping forward and snatching for the trident.

The stone glowed bright and a bolt of energy shot out from the stone, hitting Cam squarely in the chest. He flew back and landed in the water, his tail emerging almost instantly. Shaking his head, Erik slowly made his way to the stunned figure of Cam and stood just outside of the wave's reach. "You should have joined me Cam." He told him, flipping the trident around and placing the point of one of the trident's spears against Cam's chest. "I wish I didn't have to do this. But I can't allow the mermaids to have another member in their pod."

"What are you-." Cam began to ask, but his voice cut off when the stone glowed blue and his world was a sudden ocean of pain. His vision went black, but it seemed that even unconsciousness did not shield him from the pain. Cam's chest was white hot in agony, and it felt as though the trident was tearing out his heart. He thrashed blindly in the water, his legs kicking in the surf. _His legs._ When the pain finally faded, Cam was left lying on his back as the water rushed over his body. He didn't know how long he lay there, his eyes still shut tight. A sudden brightness across his eyelids forced Cam to finally open his eyes. When he sat up, he saw what he had suspected all night. His legs were in the water, his shorts completely drenched. With shaking hands Cam looked around wildly for Erik, but as he suspected there was no sign of him or the trident. Pushing to his feet, his whole body shook as silent sobs racked Cam's body.

He staggered and stumbled up the pier and into the café, startling a still-tired David as he was flipping the sign from closed to open. Cam said nothing, but simply collapsed in a chair and rested his forehead against the wood. Slapping his hands against his side, Erik flipped the sign back to closed and joined Cam at the table. "Something wrong, Cam?"

He didn't reply. Erik sat quietly at the table, content to wait for his friend to speak. The door to the bar banged open and Zach, Ondina, Evie, and Sirena strode through, their faces fearsome. David stood up and crossed the room to Sirena, but to his surprise she held up a hand and staved him off for the moment. "You!" Ondina said, ripping Cam's chair back from the table and shaking him by the shoulders. Cam didn't resist, didn't speak, and just let himself be shaken back and forth like a ragdoll. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Cam stared up at her through dull eyes and remained mute. Ondina took a step back before suddenly frowning. Her eyes widened and she fell forward, her tail flapping against the café's floor. "Ondina!" Sirena exclaimed, rushing to her friend's side. "What happened?"

"His shirt's wet." Ondina said slowly. Her gaze darted to Cam's feet and she saw the small pool of water that had dripped down from his wet clothing. "Where is your tail?"

Cam gazed down at his legs which were still shaking like leaves. "I don't have one anymore." He said. The very words tore at his heart strings and he covered his face with his hands to stop the others from seeing the tears that had sprung to his eyes.


	9. The Chamber's End

Moments of clarity are not always a good thing. In fact, more often than not they bring with them a revelation that the person in question would rather have not known. The same could easily be said of Cam as he laid in his boat staring up at the sun. Cam's moment of clarity was that he was not sure who he hated more, Erik or himself. He had mutely explained to the mermaids and Zach what Erik had done and what his plans were. Since then, none of them had so much as even looked at him. Even David, though he had been polite, had asked Cam not to return to the café. From what little information he had been able to gather, Cam understood that the pod was preparing to leave Mako. He wasn't sure if Zach or Evie would be taken with them, or even if they wanted to go.

He sat up in the bottom of the boat and gazed out over the water. Cam knew he had to do something, he even had a pretty good idea of what that something was. Erik had taken his tail, but he had accidentally left Cam with something. Extending a hand, Cam forced a pillar of water to rise in front of him. Concentrating, Cam froze the tower and watched it slowly fall over to bob on the surface of the water. Very slowly, Cam looked off into the distance and rolled his shoulders. "That's my trident." Cam said. "I want it back."

Hidden in a cove, Erik sat on a large barnacle covered stone with the trident across his lap. In front of him sat no less than two dozen men, all of whom were gazing at the trident with a mixture of hunger and eagerness. The trident's stone glowed bright as Erik stood up. He brandished the trident in front of him like a scepter and spoke. "How long have we been on our own?" He asked the group of mermen. "For years and years, the mermaids of every sea have kept us from forming our own pod. They kept us alone because of their own selfish desires. They would rather keep us weak and alone rather than let us have the pod that we deserve as mermen!"

There was a chorus of approval from the men. One boy around Erik's age raised a hand and stood up, his feet easily finding a hold on the slippery rock he had been seated upon. "What's our goal?" He asked.

"To form a pod." Erik said.

"I understand that." The boy said, nodding. "But what about beyond that?"

"Beyond that?" Erik repeated. "This is about no longer being alone. About being able to make things return to the way it was before the war."

The boy's face broke into a sneer and he shook his head. "You don't understand." He said simply. "Being alone has forced us to become strong. As fighters, each of us can hold our own against a mermaid. Their strength has been in their numbers. That's why none of us could take a stand."

"This isn't about revenge." Erik told him, the trident stone glowing blue. "This is about taking back something that should never have been taken from us!"

"And why should we stop there?" The boy asked, stepping off the stone and landing on a smaller one in front of him. He leapt from stone to stone until he was standing in front of Erik, his hands in his pockets. "There has never been a gathering of mermen like this since the war. We have a chance in front of us."

Erik stared down at the boy, considering. After a moment he stepped down and stood in front of the challenger. Looking coolly into Erik's eyes, the boy's smirk grew only more pronounced. Without even a word of warning, the blue stone glowed a bright blue and a bolt of energy hit the boy in the chest. His eyes widened in surprise a moment before he vanished, leaving nothing behind to show that he had ever been there. "Let me make something clear." Erik said as he strode through the ranks. He gave no indication of the horror that threatened to overwhelm him after he killed the boy. He hadn't meant to, which meant that the trident was growing stronger. "I am in charge here. You will obey me or… well. You've seen the alternative."

The café doors swung open, seemingly by themselves which caused Zach and the mermaids to look up from where they had been sitting at the table. Their eyes narrowed and they extended their hands as one, revealing Cam as his invisibility dissipated. "Got your tail back I see." Zach spat. "Did your new friend Erik give you your tail back?"

"I don't have my tail back." Cam said. He crossed the room and rubbed his hand across a circle of water left by Zach's drink. "And he isn't my friend. I'm not anyone's friend anymore it looks like."

"So what do you want?" Sirena asked bitterly. Her eyes were slightly red from crying, and it looked like all of them were in a similar emotional state. "We aren't going to help you get a new tail."

"I don't want you to." Cam said, shrugging. His voice was blank, emotionless. As much as it hurt, he knew that his friends were hurting worse. There was only one way for the pod to not leave the island, and Cam knew exactly how to do it. He also knew what it was going to cost. He had been experimenting with his powers and by doing so he had learned something extremely important; his powers took a toll on his body. If he used them too much he found that his heart had difficulty maintaining the energy to work. "I'm just saying goodbye."

"Well, bye." Evie said, glaring at him.

"Bye." Sirena said without looking at him.

Ondina didn't say anything, she simply stared mutely into the blue depths of her drink. Cam turned away and walked back through the doors without another word. Though it wasn't at all how he wanted it to end, he had to admit that the parting gave him at least a small sense of closure. He walked slowly down the pier and untied his boat from its moorings, his fingers numbly going about their task. He imagined that this was how all people who knew they were about to die felt. Cold. Numb. Nostalgic. He threw the ropes into the boat and set one foot into the boat and set the other against the dock. The boat rocked suddenly and Cam caught his balance, frowning at the suddenness of the imbalance. He pushed away from the dock with his foot and started the boat's outboard. The drive to Mako was the fastest that Cam could remember. It seemed that the less time that you had left alive, the faster the time went. When he finally beached the boat against Mako's white sand beach, Cam was forcing himself to remember to breathe. He trudged through the sand and into the forest, not paying attention to the cuts and snags the bushed and briars caused him. The merman's chamber entrance was closed, but with barely a flick of his wrist Cam made the hidden entrance open. He stared at the chamber's opening, simply at a loss that this was the final chapter in his life. "Well, better get it over with then." Cam muttered.

He stumbled into the chamber, bouncing off the walls as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Water began falling from his eyes and he wiped it away with an angry swipe of his arm. The chamber was as dark as ever, the pillars that supported it glowing with their bright blue light. Cam put his hand on one pillar and immediately felt the water flowing through the stone. Breathing heavily he took his place in the center of the chamber, standing directly atop the trident. He raised his hands to either side of his head and concentrated on the water flowing through the pillars. Visualizing one of the pillars, Cam wrapped his powers around one and began to pull. At first, nothing happened. But then a sudden shriek of stone rang out and a line of cracks ran up the stone. His breathing becoming labored, Cam concentrated harder and pulled at the pillar until it crumbled. The chamber shook slightly and Cam felt a small surge of triumph before turning on the next pillar. That one came easier, as did the next two. By the time he was on the fifth pillar Cam's vision was growing dark and his heartbeat had slowed to a near stop. His back and chest were coated with sweat and his arms shook with effort. He had just begun his work on the fifth pillar when his heart gave a spasm and he fell to his knees, his hand clutching at the fabric of his shirt. "No!" Cam said as he struggled to his feet. The chamber seemed to shiver and water began to surge up from the broken pillars. The trident symbol on the floor vibrated and a crack split the floor of the chamber in half. Cam looked down at the crack and breathed a sigh of relief as the split began to grow and the pillars he had not broken shattered as one. Shards of stone flew right over his head, but to his surprise none of them hit him. _Maybe I can get out of this alive._ Cam said. But he found that the hope was in vain. He couldn't move so much as a finger, and he was balancing very precariously on his knees. The crack in the floor opened even further and Cam felt himself slipping to one side. He was suddenly weightless, and then he knew no more.


	10. Reborn

He wasn't dead. The agony that seemed to cover his entire body quickly assured him of that simple fact. The floor beneath him seemed to be moving, the slight motion sending more pain through his body. Cam lay there for a long while, focusing on maintaining his breathing and waiting for the pain to subside. Very slowly, he struggled to a sitting position and opened his eyes. He was on his boat that was the first thing he noticed. The next thing he realized was that it was night. The light of the moon, which was a glowing crescent in the sky, was the only light he had to see by. Cam got to his feet, though the effort it required left him breathing heavily. A sudden coughing fit forced him back to his knees, the pain shooting through his chest. When the fit finally subsided, Cam had a sudden sense that he was being watched. Gathered around the boat, leaning on the gunwales, were Zach, Ondina, Sirena, Evie, and Mimie. Cam met each of their eyes, his breathing labored as he sat down on the bottom of the boat. "Thought I told you goodbye?" Cam asked eventually, his slightly shaking voice refuting the bravado he had tried to force behind his words.

"You destroyed the chamber." Ondina said. "Why?"

"Because now Erik can't use it." Cam said. He gazed at his hands, unwilling to meet their eyes once more. "And now no one else can get powers without the mermaid council's permission. It was for the best."

"Cam, you almost died!" Zach said, his voice breaking. "If I hadn't been following you, you would have died!"

"I went into that chamber expecting to die." Cam said simply, shrugging. "I've made such a right mess of things… I figured that I should fix my mistake."

Other mermaids began to break the surface around the boat, none of them saying so much as a word. They began to join hands, their gazes focused on Cam. "What's-." Another coughing fit seized Cam and he clutched at his chest as his heart gave another spasm. Blood spotted his lips and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He chuckled softly and shook his head, looking to where Zach had been. "I guess-." But Cam's words were cut off when he realized that Zach and the mermaids had joined the circle that had formed around the boat.

A single older mermaid swam forward and Cam recognized her as Veridia. "Cam." She said in way of greeting. "You have done us a great service by destroying the merman chamber. More than you could possibly know."

"Yeah, well." Cam said. Another spasm racked his chest and he coughed again, blood spattering against the bottom of the boat. "It needed to be done."

"Just as the moon pool affects those it turns, the merman chamber affects those that it transforms." Veridia said.

"So what does that mean?" Cam asked. He couldn't seem to draw in enough breath and his head felt light.

"Since the chamber was destroyed, it is destroying you as well." Veridia explained patiently. "You were bound to the chamber but now that it is broken you, as someone who was transformed by it, are feeling the effects."

"Sort of like when the chamber stole the power from the moon pool." Cam nodded.

Veridia very slowly shook her head. "The moon pool was still intact. The chamber is not. You are dying, Cam."

He stared up at the moon, the words not shocking him as much as they should have. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his mouth transforming from a grimace into a smile. "Well, at least it's a good night for it."

Veridia drifted back in the water and rejoined the circle. Once her hands joined with the mermaids on either side of her, the moon ring she wore glowed bright. Like a chain reaction, every other moon ring in the circle began to glow as well. Cam, who hadn't seen this, opened his eyes in surprise as the magic from the circle brushed against him. He saw the glowing moon rings and blinked in surprise. "What's going on?" He asked uncertainly. "Sending me off in style?"

"The mermaid council has considered your deeds, Cam." Veridia called. "We have reviewed your every action from the moment that Zach discovered his powers. As you know, we had previously decided that you were to not receive the tail that you so desired. But against our will, you forged ahead and claimed one for yourself. That tail was taken from you, and we thought that perhaps it was for the best. You were, after all, a simple human boy. The powers that we hold should only be used for benevolent purposes. We did not think that you were the type of person to view things as such."

"Thanks. I feel so appreciated." Cam muttered. He coughed again and wiped away the blood that came with it.

Veridia continued on as though she hadn't heard him speak. "We had been watching you ever since you lost your tail, curious to see how you would go about trying to get your tail back as we were sure you would. When you entered the merman's chamber, we were certain that you had something planned. We just weren't certain how you intended to go about getting your powers. We instructed Zach to follow you and stop you as he saw fit. But when he returned with your limp and unconscious body and explained what you had just done, we knew that we had made a mistake. As you lie in the boat, we opted to give you one chance to explain your actions. Cam, dying for something you want is one thing. However, dying to protect your friends is another thing entirely. The mermaid council has decided that you _do_ belong in our pod. You belong in our world, Cam. You do not die today, we will not allow it. Instead you are to be born, born into our world such as none have before. Tonight, under the light of the moon we give unto you the gift that you have long desired."

Stunned, Cam's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. He couldn't bring himself to speak, and even if he could he wouldn't. The mermaids had begun to sing, softly at first but as the sound rose the magic in the air did as well. The aching in Cam's chest lessened and he was slowly born aloft into the air. As though wiped away, the pain vanished from his body and was replaced by the feeling of water running over his skin. He realized with a start that it was in fact water, not simply a feeling. It sprung up from the sea and began to cover his body, starting at his feet and making its way up to cover his head. Though he was in the water, Cam found that he could still breathe perfectly. He felt fine, in fact he felt better than fine. The way the merman chamber had made him, everything was a rush to be experienced. The way the pod was changing him, Cam felt truly alive. He could no longer hear the words the mermaids sang, but he knew that they still were weaving the spell. He could simply feel it, though he was not sure how. His body began flash with sensations of hot and cold and his eyes were forced shut. He wasn't sure if he blacked out again, but when Cam opened his eyes he was surrounded by the pod. He kicked instinctively and his tail, _his tail,_ pushed him slightly out of the water. The mermaids were smiling at him, and his friends swam through the group and pulled Cam one by one. Even Ondina hugged him, pressing a kiss to his cheek and mouthing _thank you_. To his surprise, Rita was there as well, her moon ring still slightly glowing. "Welcome to the pod, Cam." She said warmly.

Caught up with emotion, Cam struggled to find the words to express just how thankful he was. "Th-thank you." His voice broke and he cleared his throat. "Thank you all so much. I'll do whatever I can to deserve this."

"You already have." Veridia told him, her smile as warm as the water they swam in. "Destroying the chamber ensured that the pod will never have to leave our home."

Zach smacked his friend on the back of the head. "That's for doing something so stupid!" He informed him. But he grinned and held out his fist to Cam. "But this is for doing something really cool."

Bumping his friend's fist with his own, Cam wiped away the single tear that managed to escape. "Got to do it big, ya know?" He laughed.

Ondina swam up to the two and looked to Veridia. "Veridia, do you mind if we take the newest member of the pod on a swim?" She asked, smiling.

Pursing her lips, Veridia thought for a moment. "It's highly irregular, but I suppose that this whole situation is irregular in of itself." She nodded her agreement after a minute. "I suppose that a swim will not hurt. Cam must need time to re-familiarize himself with his tail. But Cam, you should know that I expect you to join Rita in her lessons."

"I can do that." He said eagerly. Cam wanted to swim more than he ever had. He felt completely different now. Even better than the effect the merman chamber had him. "I'll be there!"

"Well, then." Veridia made a dismissive gesture to Ondina. "You may go. Cam, return to us at dawn. We still have to discuss your place in our pod."

 _Our pod._ He repeated quietly to himself, relishing the words. "Yes, ma'am."

Ondina grabbed him by the arm and pulled him beneath the surface. She smiled at him briefly before shooting away with Zach, Evie, and Mimie following after her. Cam grinned and followed after them. He quickly discovered that he was not nearly as fast as he had been, but he was able to keep up with the others. They continued their swim long into the night, but Cam had lost track of time before they even began.


	11. A Gain and a Loss

"So Cam," Veridia was saying as she swam in a circle around him. "Have you adjusted to your tail once more?" Treading water, Cam tried to follow the older mermaid with his eyes. "Erm, yeah." He said, kicking his tail in emphasis and pushing out of the water slightly. "Are there any lingering effects from being turned by the merman chamber?" Veridia inquired, coming to a rest directly in front of him. "Such as any of the powers that the chamber gave you?" "Not that I can tell." Cam said honestly. He seemed to be on the same wavelength as Zach now. He wasn't absurdly swift in the water, nor could he control water as easily as he had before. He was normal, or as normal as a half-human mermaid could possibly be. It was the morning following his transformation by the pod and Cam had been out swimming with the girls and Zach all night. He had never had such an opportunity before, probably because they distrusted him. Veridia and the others in the mermaid council had been questioning for the better part of an hour and Cam had to constantly try to stay awake. "Well, that is for the best." Veridia nodded. "Your previous powers were unnatural." Cam opened his mouth to say that his being a mermaid was unnatural but he thought better of it and nodded his silent agreement. "But I digress," Veridia said, smiling. "You must be tired. You may go now." "Thank you." Cam said. He inclined his head respectfully towards the council before diving below the water and speeding off towards the mainland. Choosing not to go home at the absurdly early hour it was, Cam instead headed for the sea entrance to Rita's grotto. When he pulled himself out of the water, he tried to flick off the water from his tail like he had before. The effort was not nearly as effective as it had previously been, water still clung to his tail. With an annoyed sigh, he painstakingly began to throw off all the water from his tail. The effort left him even more tired than he had been, but he took comfort in the fact that his powers no longer caused him any pain. He collapsed onto the cushion lined stone bench and closed his eyes gratefully, very quickly drifting off to sleep. Through several experiments, Erik had discovered that the trident reacted to strong emotional inputs from the one who wielded it. The stone now glowed blue with his quiet rage. He had sat in that hidden cave weeks ago with enough mermen for a pod. But now, he swam through the oceans quite alone. After he had killed the merman who had questioned him, several of the mermen left to return to their solitary existence. The ones who remained were the ones who only wanted war with the mermaids, which was something Erik truly wished to avoid at all possible costs. When he had told the others that he had no intention of going out of his way to cause a war with the mermaids, they too left. Once again in his life, Erik was alone. He had no pod, no friends, and nowhere to go. He was swimming through a trench so deep that the only light he had was that which came forth from the trident's stone. The denizens of the deep avoided the light, suspecting that a new predator had entered their domain. Only one creature had been brave enough to challenge Erik, and the giant squid now slowly sank to the bottom of the sea with a massive hole where its eye would have been. Curiously, the trident no longer seemed to be as powerful as it had been when Erik had first taken it from Cam. In addition, it no longer took in the moonlight. Though he did not want to admit it, Erik knew that somehow the trident's power was quickly failing. He sped to the surface and emerged in a shower of water, the trident clutched in his hands above his head. The moonlight reflected across the water, but the trident did not absorb any of its power. Disgusted, Erik pulled it back beneath the surface and looked around for his bearings. There was no land in sight, but that was nothing new. He had survived for months and months at a time with a tail. In fact, he had spent more time in the sea than he had on land. He had gone from pretty much every ocean in search of a pod, but each time he had been shunned by the mermaids for the simple fact that he was a merman. Gazing up at the crescent moon, Erik closed his eyes and let the lunar rays fall over him. He stayed in that position for a long while, letting the anger that had held onto him for the past weeks fall away. When he opened his eyes, he felt lighter than he had in a very long time. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. He froze the instant that his fingers neared the back of his head. The trident, which he had been holding in his hand, was gone. 


	12. Return

Cam was lounging on a chair on a secluded beach when Erik appeared in the distance, his head bobbing in the waves. Immediately on his feet, he charged into the surf after the man who had nearly cost him everything. To his surprise, Erik did not run. He floated where Cam and had seen him and even when Cam drew back his fist he only watched the blond haired merman. All of the worry that Cam had harbored after Erik took his tail was packed into the fist that he sent crashing into Erik's mouth. The bronze haired man reeled back and spit blood out of his mouth, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Cam waited for retaliation, his body tensed and ready. He only then saw Erik's eyes. They weren't the eyes of the same man who had taken Cam's powers. They were the eyes of a man who had well and truly lost everything. Cam had seen those eyes before, in the mirror every time he looked at himself before he destroyed the chamber.

"You got your tail back." Erik observed, his voice broken and hollow. His lip had been split by Cam's punch and blood was slowly dripping into the sea. "I'm glad."

"What happened to the trident?" Cam demanded, searching the area for the weapon.

"It's gone." Erik said simply. "It disappeared. I don't know what happened to it."

"So you came back to get-." Cam began to guess but Erik cut him off with a vigorous shake of his head.

"No!" Erik said, his voice slightly manic. He cleared his throat and shook his head again. "No. I don't want the trident anymore."

"Then what do you want?" Cam asked suspiciously.

"I want to apologize." Erik said honestly, surprising Cam. "I want to get my job at the café back. I want things to go back to how they were. I want to not be alone anymore."

"It's a little late for that." Cam told him frankly. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you caused?"

"No." Erik said, his eyes seemed to grow even sadder somehow. "I don't."

"Then don't ask for me to forgive you." Cam's head was clear as he turned away and swam back to the beach. He never saw the single tear that slid down Erik's cheek as Cam swam away. Cam pulled himself onto the beach and dried his tail off. He got to his feet and cast a single glance back to where Erik remained in the water before he folded up his chair and left the beach.

The café was a veritable ghost town, the only occupants being those that could grow a tail at will and David. The human was sitting at a table with Sirena while Zach and Evie had their heads together deep in conversation. They turned in their seats when Cam entered and Zach waved his friend over. "What's up?" Cam asked casually, sliding onto a bar stool.

"Well, we were just discussing what we are going to do tonight." Evie told him cheerfully, stretching in her seat like a relaxed cat.

"Tonight?" Cam asked curiously. He wasn't aware of anything special happening tonight.

"The full moon!" Zach said with an exaggerated eye roll. "Remember?"

Cam quickly counted the days since the last full moon and gave a nod of his head after a moment. "Yeah, I guess you are right." He agreed with a shrug. "Guess I stopped really paying attention. What are you guys doing?"

"That's what are _we_ doing." Mimie corrected, jumping into the stool beside Cam and leaning an elbow on the counter. "You are in the pod now. You hang out with us."

"Zach doesn't always hang out with you." Cam protested lightly. "He sometimes does his own thing for the full moon."

"Zach wasn't turned by the pod." Mimie explained. "You were. You are as much a part of the pod as I am. And that means that you are joining us for the full moon tonight."

"Well that sounds like a great time." Cam agreed. He paused and his face grew dark as he thought back to his meeting with Erik. "I ran into some one today."

"Who?" Evie asked, intertwining her fingers with Zach's.

"Erik." Instantly, Cam had the attention of everyone at the bar. He raised a hand before any questions could be asked. "He isn't here to start anything. He doesn't even have the trident anymore."

"Not that you saw." Ondina said, pacing the length of the bar over and over again. "He could have hidden it."

"Maybe, but I don't think so." Cam said. He couldn't explain it in words, the way that Erik looked so broken. He wasn't the same man who had stolen away his powers and the trident. "He's… different."

"Still, we need to tell the council," Ondina said. She grabbed Cam by the hand and pulled him along. "Come on, we need to go."

Cam looked back at the people left at the bar and they all shooed him away. "I didn't even get to have a drink." He said forlornly as Ondina pulled him out of the café.

Several miles away, the trident was speeding through the water. It wasn't an odd act of magic that it was moving, it was held by a merman. If Erik had seen him he would have recognized him as one of the men who had been for starting a war with the mermaids. He wore a beatific smile as he cut through the water, searching eagerly for a mermaid to test the limits of his new weapon. It wasn't however a mermaid that he encountered beneath the water; it was Erik.

The two mermen stared down one another, the man with the trident's gaze filled with contempt. It took only a moment for Erik to realize what he had been planning to do with the trident this close to Mako. Even though the trident was running low on power it still had the ability to destroy more than Erik was willing to lose. His eyes slowly filled with anger and he rushed towards the man, moving so quick that he couldn't react. Grabbing onto the trident, the two mermen began to wrestle for control of the weapon. They descended deep into the sea, odd flashes of light occasionally piercing the gloom.


End file.
